DAHLIAS

From being totally unenamoured with dahlias for many years, Jane Kelly had a road to Damascus moment and now she just adores them...or is it that she's just getting older?

FUSSY. FANCY.
FUDDY-DUDDY

These are just three of the terms I would have used for dahlias even a few years ago.

I'd long since dismissed them from my gardening as they seemed to belong to men of a certain age', preoccupied with creating almost abnormal perfection to gain a prize. I'd see them being nurtured in single-colour blocks and it just seemed - well to me - a bit of a waste of space! I was then asked to accompany a friend to watch a demonstration on dahlia cuttings.

The man behind the scenes was a complete enthusiast and to hear him talk with such passion about his favourite bloom was a real eye-opener. I chatted to him for quite some time afterwards and he very kindly gave me some of his favourite tubers.

The interest was sparked. I was determined to grow them successfully, if only because I told him I'd report back at the end of the season, but as time went by and the rest of the garden demanded more of my attention, they were left pretty much to go it alone. Fnd boy did they do just that! My undeserved reward for bunging in a few tubers and then ignoring them for months was armfuls of mismatched blooms - none of which I would have personally chosen, but beautiful nonetheless.

SUCH VARIETY!

So now I had no excuse. They'd proved me wrong regarding the attention required but still I wasn't enamoured by the huge cactus-like forms. I wondered if there was anything less incongruous. Of course, we gardeners know that the route to trying anything new is beset with rabbit holes, but what a delightful place to explore. The sheer array of sizes, colours and forms absolutely blew me away. Before I knew it, I was sitting down with a rather fancy catalogue in front of me and no idea where to start!